The robots meta element is an HTML tag that is used to give instructions to search engine robots about how to crawl and index a webpage. It is placed in the head section of an HTML document and can be used to tell search engines whether a page should be indexed, whether the links on the page should be followed, or both.
The “robots” meta element is not a required element, and its presence or absence does not guarantee that a page will or will not be indexed. However, it is a widely supported and recognized element that can be used to give search engines hints about how to handle a page.
1. How to use the “robots” meta element to control search engine behavior
To use the “robots” meta element, you need to add a meta element to the head section of your HTML document with the name attribute set to “robots” and the content attribute set to a value indicating how search engines should behave.
Here is an example of how to use the “robots” meta element to instruct search engines not to index the page and not to follow the links on the page:
<head>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
</head>In this example, the “robots” meta element has a content attribute with the value “noindex, nofollow“, which tells search engines not to index the page and not to follow the links on the page.
2. The different values that can be used in the content attribute of the “robots” meta element
The “robots” meta element can be used with a variety of values in the content attribute to control search engine behavior. The most common values are:
index: Allow the page to be indexed.noindex: Do not allow the page to be indexed.follow: Follow the links on the page.nofollow: Do not follow the links on the page.
In addition to these values, you can also use the none value, which is equivalent to “noindex, nofollow”, and the all value, which is equivalent to “index, follow“.
Here are some examples of how to use these values:
<!-- Allow the page to be indexed and follow the links on the page -->
<meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
<!-- Do not allow the page to be indexed and do not follow the links on the page -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
<!-- Allow the page to be indexed but do not follow the links on the page -->
<meta name="robots" content="index, nofollow">
<!-- Do not allow the page to be indexed but follow the links on the page -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow">
3. Examples of how to use the “robots” meta element in different scenarios
Here are some examples of how you might use the “robots” meta element in different scenarios:
Preventing search engines from indexing a page
If you have a page that you do not want search engines to index, you can use the “robots” meta element with the noindex value to prevent search engines from indexing the page.
For example, if you have a page with sensitive information that you do not want to be publicly visible, you can use the following “robots” meta element to prevent search engines from indexing the page:
<head>
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
</head>
Preventing search engines from following links on a page
If you have a page with links that you do not want search engines to follow, you can use the “robots” meta element with the nofollow value to prevent search engines from following the links on the page.
For example, if you have a page with sponsored links that you do not want to be included in search engine results, you can use the following “robots” meta element to prevent search engines from following the links on the page:
<head>
<meta name="robots" content="nofollow">
</head>
Allowing search engines to index and follow links on a page
If you want search engines to index and follow the links on a page, you can use the “robots” meta element with the index and follow values.
For example, if you have a page with valuable content that you want to be included in search engine results and have the links on the page followed, you can use the following “robots” meta element:
<head>
<meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
</head>
4. Best practices for using the “robots” meta for SEO
There are numerous ways to use the meta robots HTML element for search engine optimization (SEO):
- To prevent search engines from indexing pages that do not offer value to search results, such as duplicate or low-quality pages.
- To prevent search engines from following links on pages that do not add value to search results, such as sponsored links or low-quality links.
- Ensure that crucial pages and links on your website, such as your homepage, category pages, and product pages, are crawled and indexed by search engines.
- To manage search engine crawl budgets and prioritize the crawling of critical pages and links on your website.
- To improve the user experience, prohibit search engines from indexing pages that are intended for internal use or are not intended to be accessible by users.
It is also important to use the meta robots element in conjunction with other SEO techniques, such as optimizing your page titles and descriptions and using relevant keywords, to ensure that your site is visible and well-ranked in search results.
5. Limitations and considerations when using the “robots” meta element
It is important to note that the “robots” meta element is only a hint for search engines and may not be followed by all search engines. Some search engines may ignore the “robots” meta element or may have their own rules for how to interpret it.
Additionally, the “robots” meta element only applies to search engine robots and does not affect other types of web crawlers or user agents. If you want to block other types of crawlers or user agents, you may need to use other methods, such as the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header or the disallow directive in a robots.txt file.
Finally, it is important to remember that the “robots” meta element only controls how search engines crawl and index a page, and does not guarantee that a page will or will not appear in search engine results.
Many other factors can influence how a page is ranked in search results, such as the quality and relevance of the content, the number and quality of external links pointing to the page, and the overall structure and organization of the site.
6. The “robots” meta element vs robots.txt
The meta robots HTML element and the robots.txt file are both tools that can be used to control how search engines crawl and index a website. However, there are some key differences between these two tools:
Similarities
- Both the
metarobots element and therobots.txtfile can be used to tell search engines whether a page should be indexed or not, and whether the links on the page should be followed or not. - Both the
metarobots element and therobots.txtfile can be used to prevent search engines from crawling and indexing certain pages or sections of a website.
Differences
- The
metarobots element is an HTML tag that is placed in theheadsection of an HTML document and applies to a specific page. Therobots.txtfile is a plain text file that is placed in the root directory of a website and applies to all pages on the website. - The
metarobot element is only a hint for search engines and may not be followed by all search engines. Therobots.txtfile is a formal protocol that is supported by all major search engines, but it can be overridden by theX-Robots-TagHTTP header or by thenoindexvalue in themetarobots element. - The
metarobots element can only be used to control the behavior of search engine robots. Therobots.txtfile can be used to control the behavior of all types of web crawlers and user agents.
7. WordPress and the “robots” meta element
In WordPress, you can control search engine visibility by going to the “Reading” page in the WordPress dashboard. Then, scroll down to the “Search Engine Visibility” section.
“Discourage search engines from indexing this site” – If this option is checked, WordPress will add a meta robots element with the noindex value to the head section of every page on your website. This tells search engines not to index your website.
Conclusion
The meta robots element is a page-level tool that can be used to give search engines hints about how to handle a specific page, while the robots.txt file is a site-level tool that can be used to give instructions to all types of web crawlers about which pages and sections of a website should be crawled and indexed.
It is generally best to use the meta robots element for fine-grained control over specific pages, and to use the robots.txt file for broader control over the entire website.
The “robots” meta element is a useful tool for controlling search engine behavior, but it is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to optimizing a site for search engines.
It is important to use it wisely and in conjunction with other SEO techniques to ensure that your site is visible and well-ranked in search results.
